


Memories Remain

by CrypticCravings (Sekaiinokoi)



Series: Adrinette Month 2017 [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien never went to school, Adrinette Month, F/M, Fluff, Former Superheros, Mild Angst, Mutual Pining, Partners to friends to lovers, Slow Burn, University AU, coffee shop AU, give me love square tropes or give me death, love square, post-hawkmoth, probably going to touch on all sides
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-09-22 07:12:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9590477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sekaiinokoi/pseuds/CrypticCravings
Summary: Marinette is a graduate student in fashion tired of her every day routine. Adrien has been lost ever since the death of his father and fills his days working for a small, 24 hour coffee shop. One night, Adrien is anticipating a long, quiet over night shift when his daytime regular sets up shop to work on a project. Adrien can't shake the familiarity she gives off, and reminisces about his best friend and partner.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This AU assumes that Adrien never attended school, and that he and Marinette have never formally met.

Adrien didn’t mind the night shift. It was quiet. Generally only one or two customers came in during the late hours, and Adrien spent his spare time reading behind the counter. 

Tonight was no different. It was about midnight, and the only other person in the shop was one of his daytime shift regulars. She was a very pretty university student who lived nearby. Normally, she came by in the mornings for a caramel macchiato before class. They rarely spoke more than a few words to one another, but he always remembered her. She had long, black hair and big, bright blue eyes that reminded him of another girl that used to make his heart pound.

It was rare to see her while he was on the night shift. It looked like she was working on a project that was taking a while. She’s already been there for an hour and a half. 

Adrien finished wiping the surrounding tables and tossed the rag into the laundry bin behind the counter. 

He ran a hand through his hair before approaching the girl’s table.

“Good evening,” he said.

The girl started and looked up at him, eyes wide. “Oh, um, hello!”

“I’m sorry to interrupt. I was just wondering if I could get you anything. You just seem a bit busy.”

Relief seemed to fill her eyes. “Oh, that would be great.”

Adrien took down her order and retreated behind the counter. He fixed her drink–her usual–but he decided to make the macchiato a little special this time. He topped the drink with milk foam and used caramel and chocolate syrup to draw a small cat on top.

* * *

As the barista-Adrien, his name tag said- placed the mug in front of her, Marinette couldn’t help the pang of familiarity she felt. There was no reason for it, but he reminded her of someone. She’d been thinking it for some time, now, since she’d been coming to this coffee shop. 

But as she worked on her final designs, she noticed the way he moved so fluidly. It was so familiar to her somehow. Even his voice…

“Here you are.” He placed the macchiato in front of her.

She smiled at the image of the cat in the foam. “This is very cute! Thank you!”

“Ah,” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks. I thought I’d try something new.”

“It seems like a shame to drink it.”

“So, um, do you mind if I ask what you’re working on?”

“Oh,” Marinette shuffled the papers around. “it’s some designs. I’m a fashion student at the university, and I have to turn in my final designs, but I’m stuck. So mostly, I’m just sketching until I work things out.”

“These are great,” Adrien said, glancing through her designs. He had seen his father’s sketches before, and these were on par with what he’d seen as a kid. “What are you stuck on?”

“I have to come up with a theme for all of my designs, and I can’t find one that will stick. It’s either too kitchy or too over the top. I just need to find a nice medium between overdone and innovative.”

“Hmmm.” Adrien pondered her designs a bit longer, “well whatever you come up with, I’m sure it will be great." 

"Thank you.” Marinette smiled at him, a new wave of confidence surging through her. 

“I didn’t catch your name.”

She held out her hand. “I’m Marinette.”

“Nice to meet you, Marinette.” Adrien took her hand, but rather than shaking it as she expected, he bent over it and kissed the back of her hand in a move Marinette had not seen in a long time. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

Marinette watched as he returned to his post behind the counter and took a delicate sip of her macchiato. He really did remind her of someone else. The resemblance was far more obvious after that last move. The only thing missing was a lousy, groan worthy pun. 

It had been about three months since Ladybug had seen Cat Noir. Even longer before that. She hated to admit it, but ever since Hawkmoth was defeated they were growing apart. Without a super villain to bring them together regularly, life was getting in the way. Maybe Marinette was seeing the similarities between this barista and her partner because she missed the silly cat. She missed the days of joking around on patrol, the flirting, and even his terrible puns. Maybe next time she saw him she should reveal herself to him. After all, the threat was gone. And she missed her best friend. How wonderful would it be to be able to call him and vent during these stressful late hours. Or to grab a coffee with him before classes in the mornings.

She was just wondering what the alley cat would look like in civilian clothes. The years had been good to him, after all. She imagined he would look good in anything.

Her eyes were drawn back to the barista. She imagined him to be a more clean cut version of her partner, if that were possible. 

Marinette was suddenly struck with inspiration. Her pencil flew across the page as fast as the ideas came into her mind.

* * *

Adrien was entranced by the young girl in the shop. The way her eyes were drawn in such seriousness as her pencil danced across her page. It reminded him of the way Ladybug’s eyes looked after she called for her lucky charm. It had been such a long time since he’d seen eyes like that. He wasn’t sure what had given her such inspiration, but he was glad it struck. 

He watched her finish off her macchiato and go through half of the pages in her notebook. She barely looked up, and he was glad for it. It meant he didn’t have to hide his interest as he watched her. He imagined what another dark haired girl was doing at this time. He hoped she was sleeping. She deserved the rest after all those years of crime fighting. But if she was awake, he wondered what she would be doing. Maybe she’d be like Marinette, working on her final projects in a coffee shop somewhere in Paris. He liked to think they were connected in that way.

Adrien contemplated this as he poured himself his own cup of coffee. When he was with Ladybug, he was balanced. She was good luck, he was bad luck. She was brighter than the sun, and he was as dark as a moonless night. She followed her head, and he followed his heart. Perfectly in sync, yin and yang.  
He missed her. 

How long had it been since he’d seen her? Three months, about.  
As he sipped his coffee, occasionally glancing up at the girl who reminded him so much of His Lady, he decided that maybe he should go out and patrol the next night. Perhaps he would run into her.

* * *

The clock turned to three in the morning before Marinette put the finishing touches on her sketches. Her line was entirely based on her partner, and she couldn’t be more proud of what she’d put together. Designing a Cat-inspired line as an homage to her best friend after all these years seemed a good tribute to her favorite super hero. 

Adrien had come around to check on her a few times. She figured it must be a bit boring to be the only one on the night shift with so few customers. After clearing her work space and packing her bag, she sketched out one last drawing. It spoke the words that she could never say aloud while giving away nothing at all. It was a sort of “thank you” for reminding her of her cat, and inspiring her project, but one that he likely wouldn’t understand. Marinette left her tip on the table and waved goodbye as she walked out the door.

* * *

Adrien wiped down the table and collected the tip Marinette had left for him. He was about to take the finished cup back to the sink when a slip of paper caught his eye. He picked it up to find a small sketch of a black cat and a ladybug chasing one another around in a circle. It had clearly been left with the tip on purpose. 

Before Adrien could even think of what he was doing, his feet propelled him to the front door of the coffee shop. He threw the door open and looked frantically for the girl with gleaming blue bell eyes. Unfortunately, she was already gone. His only comfort was that he might see her the next time he worked the day shift. Then, maybe, he could put these suspicions to rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was not expecting this fic to get so much attention, so thank you all so much for the positive response. I am very excited to say that I will be turning this into a multi chapter fic. I'll begin working on it after I finish the prompts for Adrinette Month, and I'm looking forward to it! Thank you all again for the positive response!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow is it really June?? Sorry this took so long to update. School got in the way, and I had to figure out which direction to take this fic in. I definitely figured it out now, so please enjoy and be ready for more!

Ladybug swung through the streets of Paris--which were fairly quiet, even for a weeknight--and nearly whooped with joy. It was a good day, and she was celebrating with a patrol--which was really just an excuse to don her spots and swing above the rooftops with the lack of crime in her city.

Marinette had turned in the preliminary designs for her capstone project that morning, then that afternoon, she'd put the finishing touches on three commission projects before dropping two of them in the mail, and emailing the third client about a pick-up. It was her day off from the bakery, and she had run out as soon as she could, loving the feel of the early February air whipping through her hair. The only thing that would have made the day better would be seeing her partner, though that was unlikely.

Marinette shoved the pang of loneliness aside and landed on the top of one of Notre Dame's towers. She looked over her city and relaxed for the first time in what felt like forever. 

Yet as she sat down, stretching her arms over her head and extending her legs out in front of her, her brain nudged at her with a tiny anxiety. It was the feeling she typically got when she had a major assignment coming up, but she knew her next draft of designs and fabric mock ups weren't due for another week, and she didn't have any pending commissions. The source of her anxiety could only be one thing: she was worried about her cat.

What was that saying? Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

That couldn't have been more true. Over the years, seeing Cat Noir less and less had made her miss him more. She was worried that she was losing him as they grew apart. Her life was becoming so routine--get up, help prep the bakery, get a morning coffee, go to class, work, commissions, sleep, then do it all over again the next day. She was so busy with everything that she hadn't even noticed how….normal things had become since Hawkmoth's defeat.

Not that normal was always a bad thing, but considering the majority of her childhood/teen years had been spent as a spotted super-hero defending Paris from supervillains of various affiliations, normal was, well, abnormal. She loved that her city was peaceful. Crime was at an all-time low, and the super villains had been quiet for a few years. It was a good thing for everyone.

But Ladybug couldn't help but almost wish for at least a little excitement. Something to break the monotony of her daily life. Something that would let her see Cat Noir for even a little bit…

* * *

 

Ladybug must have fallen asleep up there, because the next time she opened her eyes the sun had moved to the horizon. It was almost setting.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She'd never get to sleep after napping for so long. Maybe she should swing by that coffee shop, then prep some dough for her parents after the bakery closed…

"A little late for a cat nap, isn't it, My Lady?"

Ladybug was on her feet in an instant, hand already on her yoyo.

"Woah, there, LB, it's just me!" Cat Noir held his hands out in the universal sign for "I'm unarmed" and grinned at her. "Long time no see, Bugaboo."

Ladybug's face split into a huge grin as she relaxed her stance. She tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach, but she couldn't ignore the slight heat rising in her cheeks. "Chaton!" She threw her arms around him in a tight hug. She felt his hands come to her waist and she realized once again how much taller than her he had become. The top of her head was barely above his shoulder. Yet even with the height difference, she never felt more at home than when she was in his arms. Years of tumbling around together in battle would do that to a person. "What are you doing out and about?"

"I could ask the same of you. It's been a while since I've heard about a streak of spots flying through the city."

Ladybug laughed as she reluctantly stepped out of Cat Noir's embrace. "I had a good day and wanted to enjoy my freedom a little bit."

Cat Noir sat down on the slope of the roof and Ladybug followed. "I'm glad you had such a good day. I was flipping TV channels and saw some footage of you out patrolling. I wondered if I'd catch you out and about still."

"Well, you caught me."

Cat Noir pointed out, with humor in his voice, how dangerous it was for her to fall asleep on top of a tower. She told him that, compared to all of the reckless stunts he had pulled over the years, she was entitled to one or two of her own.

The pair shared jokes and told vague stories from their civilian lives to catch each other up on everything they had missed in the past few months apart. Cat Noir had gotten a new job--his last one hadn't been giving him enough hours. Ladybug was in her last semester working towards her masters degree. He'd gotten a haircut. She was considering one. The weather was awfully nice for this time of year, wasn't it?

It wasn't until the sun had nearly set over the horizon that the pair considered parting ways.

Ladybug was feeling uncharacteristically shy as their rare meeting drew to a close--like a middle schooler with a crush trying to form her words around the guy she liked. 

"So…uuum. I guess it might be a while before we see each other again, huh," Ladybug murmured.

Cat's eyes filled with regret. "I guess you're right."

Ladybug cast out her yoyo out and prepared to swing off, but turned back to give Cat Noir one last one armed hug. "Take care of yourself until next time, okay? You've gotten really skinny lately. Make sure you're eating enough."

His eyes crinkled with mirth at her concern. "Thanks, mom. But try not to stay away for so long this time."

"Back at you, kitty. Let's not wait until summer to see each other again." Ladybug winked before leaping off the building, the rush of the wind and the remaining exhilaration from seeing her partner/best friend again ran through her.

* * *

 

Adrien didn't return to his apartment until after dark. Seeing Ladybug had to have been the highlight of his week--maybe even his entire month.

"She hasn't changed at all, has she Plagg?" He sighed and flopped down dreamily at his kitchen table.

The tiny black Kwami rummaged around in the cabinets. "What are you talking about? She's totally different from that awkward kid back in the day."

"That's not what I mean. I haven't seen her since…what….Before Christmas? Maybe longer? But every time I see her, she takes my breath away." He sighed, tapping mindlessly on the small pile of bills that called for his attention. "She has this…air, this essence about her that never changes. Like, the atmosphere around her is charged with her aura. Like she carries the light with her, you know?"

Plagg made a disgusted sound and tossed something to the floor. "The only thing I know, kid, is that no matter how many years go by, somehow you get sappier with each one." There was more rummaging about in the cabinets. "At least you used to talk about real things. 'Oh, your bluebell eyes. The way she smashed that Akuma's face in. Blah blah blah'. But now you're obsessed with her aura?! The air around her? Blegh."

"I don't care, Plagg. You know what they say: Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Finally, the clattering stopped. Plagg, having apparently found what he was looking for, floated over to Adrien's side with a box of cheese crackers. "You really need to get laid, kid."

Adrien whacked at his Kwami, but missed.

"Face it kid, you've been pining over LB for years now. You either need to do something about it or move on."

Adrien sighed and slumped down, head hanging over the back of the chair. "Maybe you're right, Plagg."

"Come on, kid, I mean  
you've been whining about--wait. Did you just say I was right?"

Adrien winced. He should have known the words would come back to bite him in the ass. "Don't let it go to your head."

Plagg's grin could have rivaled the Cheshire Cat. "Too late for that."  
Adrien rolled his eyes and chose to ignore the gloating black cat.

Plagg really did have a point.

Maybe it was time for him to quit pining and take action. After all, he wasn't a fourteen year old kid anymore. Neither was Ladybug. Plus, the danger was out of the way with the absence of super villains lately.

Maybe he needed to grow a pair and finally do something about this pining heart of his.

* * *

 

Marinette walked home from the coffee shop, macchiato in hand, and reflected on her day.

She hadn't expected to run into her cat, but the fact that she had…

Marinette felt heat rise in her cheeks. She pressed a hand to the side of her face to feel the warmth of her own skin. She closed her eyes and sighed, reveling in the sweet feeling of butterflies in her stomach, almost like a giddy anticipation of things to come. Seeing Cat Noir again had settled her resolve. It was time for her to meet him--the real him. With all of the danger gone, she could finally and safely reveal herself to her partner.

What would it be like to be able to call him whenever she wanted? To finally text him all of those memes she had saved on her phone?

And sure, things might be awkward at first, but seeing the man under the mask, getting to know him for real, maybe they could be something more…

Marinette wiggled a bit in her excitement, and danced in place, not caring about the stares of pedestrians around her.

She was ready. It had only taken ten years, but she was finally going to tell her partner everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Tumblr for updates! CrypticCravings.Tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are way shorter than I would typically write, but they're coming out pretty quickly, too. I don't know how long this momentum will last, but enjoy it!  
> (I may have to increase the chapter count....)

Marinette sighed wistfully for the hundredth time that hour. Since making the decision to reveal herself to Cat Noir, she'd been trying to figure out the best way to do it. Trying to find the perfect way to introduce her civilian self to her best friend-slash major crush was seriously nerve wracking. Under normal circumstances, she would call her other best friend, Alya, for advice. Unfortunately, this was a little bit outside of her friend's area of expertise, no matter how much the woman loved superheroes.

Marinette stitched some more of the beading into her latest commission and stabbed herself with the beading hook. She cursed and stuck her finger into her mouth.

"I hope I'm not bleeding," she murmured around her finger.

"Marinette," Tikki fluttered nervously about Marinette's work space, "are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"

"No, I think I'm alright." Marinette put down her work and pushed back from the desk. Her finger wasn't bleeding after all. "Just distracted. I don't know what to say to Cat Noir."

"Well," Tikki said, settling on the edge of her desk, "you could just be honest with him. Cat Noir is one of your oldest friends, and he's your partner. Besides, Cat Noir has wanted to know Ladybug since you were kids. I'm sure he'll be over the moon."

Marinette smiled and pet Tikki's head with the tip of her finger. "I guess you're right, Tikki."

Marinette spun away from her desk, fell out of her chair and onto her chaise. She didn't remember when exactly it happened, but at some point she'd fallen in love with Cat Noir. When they were younger, she'd kept her feelings squished down inside so that they wouldn't interfere with her duty as Ladybug. She'd used the excuse that it wasn't safe. They couldn't be more than friends because it might interfere during battle. They couldn't reveal themselves because Hawkmoth or the other enemies might find out and use it against them; and how practical could it be for superheroes to be in love when they don't even know each other's faces?

So Ladybug forced herself to be the responsible one. Cat Noir continued to be his usual flirtatious self, and Ladybug never gave in. Sure, she flirted back with him and joked around, but that was as far as it went between them. For ten years they'd stayed that way, stuck in a flirtatious limbo that she had been too afraid to break.

But things were different now. They were both adults. They were better fighters, and the enemies were rare. They were more responsible.

And Marinette couldn't think of one single good reason to keep her identity--or her feelings--a secret any longer.

Marinette sat up on the chaise, a plan forming. "Tikki, I think it's time to patrol a bit. I need to get a message to Cat Noir."

"Of course, Marinette!" Tikki circled Marinette's head a few times before coming to float in front of her. "Just say the words."

Marinette smirked. Looks like she'd get to enjoy the sights of her city from above twice in one week. "Tikki, Spots on!"

Once her transformation was complete, she pulled herself up through her skylight and onto her balcony above. She needed a neutral background for what she was about to do. She climbed over her balcony to the roof of her building, the scent of fresh bread still permeating the air as it floated up from the bakery through the chimney. It smelled like home.

Once she had settled into her perch, she detached her yoyo from her hip and flipped open the communication device. She seriously doubted Cat Noir would be out and about in costume, but she could at least leave a message for him.

* * *

 

Adrien wiped down the counter the next morning to prepare for the morning shift that was coming in. He was getting tired of working the night shift, but at least it gave him something productive to do with his time.

Since his father had passed away, he stopped modeling. He'd gotten his degree in business at his father's request; despite the fact that he was now the primary shareholder, member of the board of directors, and de-facto CEO of _Gabriel,_ he'd defaulted all of his duties to the board and become a silent partner. Instead, he'd taken jobs like the one at the coffee shop to support a much smaller lifestyle until he figured out what he really wanted to do.

He'd made that decision three years ago, and hadn't taken a step since. He couldn't carry on like this. He knew his parents would be disappointed at the way he was stagnating, but he couldn't help it.

The first shift came in not twenty minutes later to relieve him. He hung his apron before clocking out, wishing his team members luck with the morning rush and heading out.

Once he was out of the shop, he slipped into an alley and opened up his jacket pocket. "Hey, Plagg. You can come out now."

The tiny black Kwami zipped out of Adrien's jacket, holding a piece of cheese in his tiny hands. "When are you going to get a job with regular hours? These overnights and early morning shifts are killing me."

Adrien laughed. "Killing you? This lack of sleep is going to mess with my devilish good looks."

Plagg snorted. "Not full of yourself at all…"

"Anyway, I need to clear my head for a while. Patrol?"

"First you work until five in the morning and then you actually want to do more work. The more time I spend with you, the less I understand you."

Adrien rolled his eyes and called on his transformation.

Masked and magical-leather clad, he scaled the side of the coffee shop. He whipped out his baton and was about to use it to take off to the next building, when the blinking paw print caught his eye. A message from his lady this soon?

He hit the paw print and the small video screen popped out of the baton.

The image of his lady that appeared on his screen left him just as star struck as it would have ten years ago, making him feel like that same kid with a crush that he was when their partnership first began. Her hair was getting long. So long she had it pulled back into a high ponytail. She'd mentioned wanting to cut it last time they'd seen each other.

 _"I feel like I need some change in my life,"_ she had said.

He could relate to that.

Cat Noir hit the play button, his heart stuttering with anticipation as he was met with his partner's stunner smile.

"Hello, um, hi…Cat Noir." Ladybug bit her bottom lip before continuing. "I don't know when you'll see this, but I want to talk to you about something important." Her eyes went wide for a moment, and Cat Noir wondered if he should be-- "It's nothing dangerous, though! So don't worry about anything like that." He sighed in relief as he watched a pink flush color her cheeks. Seeing her like this was cute. Even with how relaxed she'd become over the years, seeing this side of her was rare. "I guess I should have thought out my wording. Anyway…if you see this in time, meet me on the cupola of the Institut de France, the side facing Pont des Arts at 9 PM  Friday. I…ah…I hope you can make it."

Adrien closed his baton. What in the world did she want to talk to him about? The message had come through last night. The sun was officially rising, which meant it was Thursday. Only two more days until he could meet his lady again. Twice in one week! And people said she was supposed to be the lucky one.

* * *

 

Adrien worked off his nervous/excited energy for a couple of hours until he'd worked up a nice sweat. He dropped down in a random alley way and dropped his transformation, deciding the weather was nice enough to walk home as a civilian that day.

"Are you done working me into exhaustion," Plagg complained. "Where's the cheese? Did you forget my cheese?"

Adrien shook his head as Plagg scoured his entire being for a scrap of cheese. "You ate it all already."

Plagg gasped, then faked a swoon on Adrien's shoulder. "How can you possibly expect me to survive without breakfast? And after everything I've done for you!"

"Look, don't be a drama queen. Why don't we just stop in a bakery. I'll grab you some breakfast."

"There better be cheese in it!" Plagg made some vague threats before stuffing himself into Adrien's pocket again.

Adrien emerged from the alley and took a look about his surroundings. He was back in his old neighborhood, and if he remembered correctly, his father used to send Nathalie out to get their bread from a bakery right on this street. Adrien spotted it not even 100 meters away: Tom and Sabine's Bakery and Patisserie. His stomach growled and he realized he hadn't eaten since his break around 3 AM. His mother always said they made the best bread in all of Paris, and it had been some time since he'd had truly good bread.

It was about 8:00, and the breakfast rush was going through the bakery. Some business men stopping in before work, students on their way to school, and parents picking up their day's bread.

Adrien wiped his forehead, making sure there was no leftover sweat after his transformation cleaned him up. When he was sure he was presentable, he pushed open the bakery door and was assaulted with the incredible smell of fresh bread and sweet cream butter.

Adrien stood in line and looked around at the display cases. Colorful pastries filled the cases, looking so perfect they couldn't possibly be real. There were even bowls full of candies and confections on top of the counter that looked like tiny gems. It was just…calming to immerse himself in the sights and smells of this boulangerie. At the counter stood two women: an older Asian woman with a short bob, and a younger girl--about Adrien's age--who looked vaguely familiar, clearly her daughter. In the kitchen behind them, a large mustached man was kneading dough and pulling macarons from the oven.

Adrien's gaze returned to the young woman at the register and finally recognized her. It was Marinette, the regular from the coffee shop who had drawn the black cat and reminded him of Ladybug. He grinned.

"Good morning," She said as he approached the counter, putting the last customer's coins into the register. "What can I do for you?"

"Morning," Adrien said.

Her eyes raised and met his.

"Marinette, right? You come into the coffee shop I work for a lot."

A smile brightened her features, and for some reason lifted Adrien's spirit along with it. "Of course, Adrien, right?"

He nodded.

"It's good to see you in the daylight this time," she joked.

"Back at you."

They laughed together before Marinette took Adrien's order. A croissant for himself, a cheese Danish for Plagg, and a baguette to go with Adrien's lunch and dinner.

He paid her, thanked her for the bread and pastries, then left the shop. The sound of her laugh resonated in his mind, sounding a little too familiar…

He shook it off and headed back to his apartment. He had a grumpy Kwami to feed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Tumblr for updates! CrypticCravings.Tumblr.com


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Friday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a little slow, and I'm sorry about that.   
> I hope you like it anyway!

It was Friday.

It was Friday and it was six o'clock.

It was Friday and it was six o'clock and in four hours Ladybug would be having The Talk with Cat Noir.

Marinette was nervous. More nervous than she'd ever been in her life.

She spent her whole day pacing in her bedroom, worrying over various scenarios to Tikki, who watched on, munching on her plate of cookies.

"…and what if he's not interested in knowing anymore? What if he doesn't care who I am?"

Tikki shook her head. "Now you know that's ridiculous, Marinette. Of course he wants to know. He's probably just as lonely as you are."

"Okay, but what if he isn't? What if he has a girlfriend and doesn't want to complicate the relationship by meeting me? I know we've flirted in the past. And I also know we've both dated. Who is to say he's not in a committed relationship by now?"

"You'll always be his friend, right? Even if he has a girlfriend?"

Marinette pursed her lips. "Of course I will, but I just don't know if she would be happy about some random girl dropping into her boyfriend's life." Marinette gasped and halted her pacing. "How do I even bring it up? Oh, Tikki,  I haven't thought this through at all!"

"You'll think of something, Marinette. You always do."

Marinette flopped onto her chaise, face down. She felt like a fifteen year old girl again. She wished she could call Alya for advice, but couldn't for obvious reasons. Her best friend always knew what to say. Marinette giggled at the idea of approaching Alya with this problem. How would she react to her eternally single BFF suddenly coming to her with boy problems? She would flip. Not to mention, Alya was Ladybug and Cat Noir's biggest and oldest fan. She would flip for completely different reasons if she found out Ladybug's alter ego was Marinette all along.

Marinette stayed in that position until her mother called her to dinner.

* * *

 

Tom and Sabine noticed that their daughter was unusually quiet at the table. Each of them tried to coax an explanation out of her, but to no avail. Sabine assumed it was just  stress over her thesis project. Tom assumed it was some kind of existential crisis that neither of them would be able to understand.

Tom was half right.

* * *

After an excruciatingly awkward dinner with her parents, Marinette decided she couldn't sit idly any longer. There was an hour left before she was supposed to meet Cat Noir, and she was feeling way too restless. She needed to burn off some of this energy.  She told her parents she was going out for a walk, and grabbed a couple of leftover macarons from the bakery for Tikki before heading out.

She walked to the Institut de France as a civilian, enjoying watching the tourists marvel at the city she was so proud to protect.

The wall took about a half an hour, significantly longer than it would have taken if she had been suited up, but she appreciated the time to clear her head. Marinette still had no clue what to say to Cat Noir when he showed up. It wasn't like she could just waltz up to him and say "Hey, hot stuff, you still wanna see what's under the mask?" then drop her transformation.

Marinette groaned and smacked herself in the forehead. She was getting ridiculous. But time was almost up.

It wasn't until Marinette was looking for a place to transform that she considered the worst case scenario. Hiding behind a bush, she opened her purse. "Tikki, what if he doesn't show up?"

The little Kwami shook her head. "He wouldn't stand you up intentionally, Marinette."

"I mean, the message I sent was super vague and awkward. What if he got freaked out? Or what if he hasn't seen it? Maybe he doesn't even transform regularly. And we've already met up once this week. Maybe he just doesn't know? Or doesn't care?"

"You'll never find out unless you transform and get out there. If he comes, you know you're ready to do this, and if he doesn't, we can stop somewhere to get some ice cream and watch a sad movie together." Tikki fluttered out of her hiding space in Marinette's purse and hugged her cheek. "Try not to worry so much, Marinette."

"Thanks, Tikki," Marinette rubbed the top of Tikki's head affectionately.

She quickly transformed before someone discovered her hiding spot and used her yoyo to scale the building. She was thankful that she'd come out so early. The extra time gave her an opportunity to stew.

* * *

Adrien was anxious to say the least. He hadn't heard from Ladybug since her strange, cryptic message the other day. She said it was nothing dangerous, but their definitions of danger had a tendency to differ…

Whatever it was she wanted to meet about, it was an opportunity to see her again, so he might as well appreciate it.

Once he was transformed, he headed straight for the Institut de France, where his Lady would be waiting for him. 

He spotted the red and black clad heroine from across the street and used his baton to propel him into the air. He lept across rooftops until he found a good jumping off point to get him across to the cupola. He grinned at the sight of Ladybug watching the stars from her spot on the dome. There was a light tension to her form, a definite change from the last time he had found her napping on a rooftop. As he landed behind her, he wondered if what she wanted to discuss was dangerous after all. It was clearly causing her some stress.

A small frown fixed itself on Cat Noir's face as he approached her. In an attempt to lighten her worries, he flopped unceremoniously down next to Ladybug, lying down on his back with one leg stretched out and one bent at the knee. He tried not to show how worried her message had him and painted himself to be the same carefree cat he always was when he was with her. He folded his arms behind his head.

"Twice in one week, LB. We haven’t done this in years! Maybe we should do it more often."

Ladybug's laughter was obviously forced, and she didn’t even make eye contact. Cat Noir frowned, but waited for her to respond. She'd called him out for a reason. She wouldn't keep him in the dark for long.

"Good to see you, too, Cat Noir."

She fell silent again, causing the niggling worry in Cat Noir's heart to grow. He tried to keep his voice steady. "So, what's going on, Bug? You said you wanted to talk about something?"

Ladybug sighed. She took a deep breath and let it out again. The tension in her shoulders didn't ease. It was like she was trying to psych herself up. "Okay," she said. "Okay, okay, okay."

Cat Noir propped himself up on his elbows and stared at Ladybug.

"So, it's like this. All of the evil targeting Paris has been gone for like a year now. It's quiet now. I love being Ladybug. It's been a part of my life for so long now that I don't know who I would be right now without it, and…without you." She pulled her legs up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her knees. She still hadn’t met his eyes. "But it gets lonely lately. It's like, ever since we took down the last villain, life has been so predictable. And that's not a bad thing, necessarily. It's definitely safer." Ladybug sighed again. "I feel like I'm rambling." She bit her lip, and sat quietly for a moment. Adrien knew her well enough to know that she needed to gather her thoughts, so he sat up and let her think. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, rubbed her temples, and squeezed her eyes shut. Finally, she turned to him. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…I just miss you."

Whatever Cat Noir thought Ladybug was going to say, that wasn't it. "I-I miss you, too, My Lady."

"I know we are supposed to protect our identities, even from each other. It was dangerous for us before. One of our enemies could have used it against us if they knew that we knew. But things are different now. We're older, stronger, and we've taken down all of our enemies."

"LB, are you saying what I think you're saying right now?"

"I mean, I don't even really know what I'm saying! I guess what I’m trying to get out with these," she made a vague but frantic gesture with her hands, "words or whatever is that I think it's okay, I mean if you want to and you're okay with it or whatever," she took another deep breath, "Ithinkitmightbeokayifwerevealedouridentities!"

As soon as the rush of words tumbled out of her mouth, she buried her face in her knees, like she couldn't believe what she'd said and she was terrified of them blowing up in her face.

Cat Noir fell back on his hands, nearly slipping on the dome, but catching himself at the last second. He never thought this day would come, yet here he was.

"That is," she whispered, "if you want to. I don't want to pressure you or anything. I just…miss my best friend."

Adrien slipped again, this time falling flat onto the dome. His lady, his Bug, was asking if he wanted to know the real him. She said she missed her best friend, that she wouldn't be who she was without him, and that she wanted to know him. How could he possibly say no to that? All of his teenage fantasies about this moment were going to come true.

Cat didn't realize just how long he sat in stunned silence until Ladybug shifted.

"Maybe this was a bad idea." She laughed and stood. From where he lay, still on the dome in shock, he could see a tinge of pink in her cheeks. "Maybe I should just…maybe you should just…forget I said anything. Sorry." She reached for the yoyo at her waist.

Cat Noir scrambled to his feet and grabbed her hand without thinking. "Wait!"

Ladybug turned to him, her deep blue eyes as large and wide as saucers as she stared at him.

"Don't say that! Don't…don't leave." Cat Noir adjusted his posture, and gripped her hand with both of his. "You took me by surprise, that's all. I miss you, too. I miss you all the time. Do you know how many times I've wanted to just call you and talk about my day? Or complain to you, or tell you a stupid joke I've heard? You know I've wanted to know who you are under the mask since we were kids. Of course I still want to know now!"

Ladybug's shoulder's finally relaxed, the tension finally seeping out of them. Cat Noir didn't let go of her hand. "Me, too," she said quietly. "I want to be able to call you, and text you, and send you stupid memes I see on the internet. And I want to hang out with you without the masks."  
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He knew, being a super hero and all, both he and Ladybug had a flair for the dramatic. To any outsider, this scene would seem like something out of a soap opera. But he couldn't imagine this situation any other way. He didn't want it any other way.

"So," he said, "How do you want to do this?"

Ladybug laughed and wiped her eye with her free hand. "I don't know. I really didn't think I would get this far."

Cat Noir chuckled at that. "You worked yourself up like that, and you didn't have a plan for what would happen next? I can't believe you!"

Ladybug pouted indignantly. "Look, it was enough for me to even initiate this conversation. Do I have to do everything?"

"No, you're right. Come, sit back down and let me think."

After finally releasing Ladybug's hand, they each took a seat at the edge of the cupola, legs dangling from the tower, staring out at the Seine.

Detransforming up here could be risky. They were in direct view of the public, and without their suits they could risk hurting themselves. So, immediate action was definitely out.

He wanted to take action soon, but the truth was, under the mask he wasn't prepared. Call him vain, but he at least wanted to be clean shaven before he revealed himself to Ladybug. He had been so worried, he hadn't done that, or even brushed his hair that day. Besides, he wanted his first look at his lady to be in the sunlight.

"Okay. Let's not be impulsive about this. This is a big deal, right?"

Ladybug nodded.

"So maybe we take this slow. Give ourselves some time to prepare."

"Y-yeah. That's a good idea."

"So then, can we meet again…Tomorrow?" Cat Noir scanned their surroundings and noticed a middle school with an open courtyard. He made the suggestion that maybe they meet there, after all, the students and teachers should be cleared out in the afternoon on a Saturday. Ladybug smiled, almost to herself, and told him that the school he suggested didn't have Saturday classes at all, so they should be safe to have a few moments of privacy there.

So, they agreed. That's where they would do it.

Tomorrow afternoon, their lives would change forever.

But for now, they simply savored each other's company and stargazed into the late hours of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr! CrypticCravings.Tumblr.com


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's time for me to add "slow burn" to the tags on this fic.

Another day, another four emails from Nathalie about _Gabriel_ HQ meetings.

Adrien was positive he'd made his stance clear, but that never stopped Nathalie from keeping him in the loop. Adrien set aside the catalogue she'd mailed him and skimmed her emails with little interest. Nothing new. Things were running fine. That’s all that mattered.

Adrien shut down his work email without checking the rest of the meeting minutes or bank statements that were cluttering his inbox. He wasn't about to deal with all of that.

This was supposed to be a good day for him. He was determined to keep it that way, and a good day did not involve looking over his father's assets.

Instead, he fed Plagg another round of cheese before approaching his closet.

He had just a few hours left before he went to meet Ladybug. He needed to get dressed. Adrien pushed his pair of thick rimmed glasses up his nose, forgoing contacts for the day. Typically, he didn't worry about his appearance, especially when meeting Ladybug. There was no point brushing his hair and wearing his best shirt when he'd just transform and be covered from head to toe in a magical leather cat suit. Besides, ever since he'd quit modeling, he hadn’t been as concerned with how well his shoes matched his belt.

This was different.

He was about to meet Ladybug.

Honest to god, real life Ladybug.

And on his life, he was not going to meet her in his coffee stained work shirt and a pair of loose fitting jeans. He was going to call back to the 18 year old Adrien Agreste who sold cologne on billboards wearing only the highest quality designer clothing.

He was going to have to go into his closet.

"It's been a while since I've seen you wear something that comes off a hanger," Plagg said as Adrien opened the double door walk in. "Getting all dressed up to see your love bug?" The kwami made a kissy face.

"She's not my love bug," Adrien quipped.

He flipped through the hangers, shifting through the pairs of designer jeans and pressed slacks. He laid out no less than five outfits, shuffled shirts around, considered his socks, then began pacing, much to Plagg's chagrin. The tiny pest flitted around complaining loudly the entire time.

Finally, Adrien settled on something to wear.

He donned a pair of tight fitting navy slacks, a soft, dark blue t-shirt, and a grey sports jacket.  Not too dressed up, but not too casual either. He shoved his feet into a pair of Doc Martins and pushed up the sleeves of his sports jacket. Of course, his father hadn't raised a slob. Adrien folded a handkerchief and placed it neatly into his breast pocket.

After spending a half hour ensuring his hair was absolutely perfect, it was just about time. He wound a large, heavy knit scarf around his neck and shoved his keys, phone, and wallet.

"Are you ready?" Adrien ran his fingers through his hair and shut the curtains.

"Are you asking me or yourself," Plagg asked.

He rolled his eyes. "Plagg, transform me."

Once he was officially Cat Noir, he snuck out the back window of his apartment. It was finally time.

* * *

 

Marinette was ready. At least, she kept telling herself she was.

She was glad, at least, that Cat Noir suggested meeting today instead. It gave her time to style her hair--curse her heavy Chinese locks that couldn't hold a curl to save her life--and do her makeup. She had been too nervous yesterday to take care of any of that. She'd gotten dressed in a daze, and had spent more time tearing her hair out with nervousness than she had considering what would happen when she actually had to drop the mask and face the actual boy she'd had feelings for for her entire young adult life.

But this morning, she'd woken up with a strange sense of clarity. She wasn't nervous any more. She wasn't worried. Everything was just…serene. Because she was meeting Cat Noir today.

So she put on a brightly colored outfit to contrast the dreary February weather. A navy blue skirt with pink butterflies, a pink, long sleeved shirt, a pair of yellow tights with polka dotted heels and a red knitted scarf. Once her hair was pulled back into twin buns, she checked her appearance in the mirror one last time before turning to Tikki.

"Are you ready for this," She asked her kwami, who was sitting on Marinette's chaise lounge.

"I'm ready if you are," the tiny red bug said.

"I'm definitely ready."

"You seem way more confident today."

Marinette smiled and looped her purse over her shoulder. "I feel better. I mean, no matter what happens, Cat Noir is my friend. He still wants to meet me, so that's a good thing, right? Whoever he is under the mask, we're still going to be friends."

"Do you think he's someone you know already?"

"I mean, a while ago I wondered if maybe he was someone in my class. After Chloe repeatedly got everyone in school akumatized, and he was always on the scene so quickly, I had to wonder. I doubt it, though."

"Well, I guess you're about to find out."

Marinette grinned the type of sappy grin of a school girl in love. "I guess you're right."

She put on her coat and a pair of earmuffs, then let Tikki fly into her purse. She stopped into the bakery downstairs for some macarons, because bringing cookies along almost always led to a good first impression--as long as she didn’t drop them all.

Once she was out of the bakery, she slipped the cookies into her purse and let Tikki out of her hiding place.

"Ok, Tikki, the coast is clear."

"Just say the word, Marinette."

It was finally time.

* * *

 

Thank goodness the school was empty. Marinette had to double check the principal's office, but thankfully Principal Damocles never outgrew his habit of taking Saturdays as a personal day. As long as there were no students on campus for activities--and Marinette hadn't noticed any--the coast was totally clear.

Now all that was left was to wait.

She wasn't sure which direction Cat Noir would be coming from. Would he walk through the front doors? Unlikely, since they were locked for the weekend. Which meant he was probably going to drop into the courtyard from the roof. So Ladybug picked a nice spot on the overhang above the library to sit and wait.

She looked down on the basketball court and wondered what life would have been like if she and Cat Noir actually had gone to _college_ here together. Would they have had classes together? Would they have recognized each other? Marinette liked to think she wasn't so dense she wouldn't see her partner right in front of her. Then again, she could be totally wrong. It was completely possible that she did know him in her everyday life. 

She would find out soon enough.

She wasn't waiting long before the cat dropped in. Always the show off, he flipped over the rooftop of the side corridor, caught himself on the second floor railing, then landed at the center of the basketball court below.

"You can't do anything normally, can you?" Ladybug stood on the overhang and tossed out her yoyo. It wrapped around a railing, and she swung herself down to the courtyard to stand before Cat Noir. "You're always doing something to show off."

"What can I say," the stupid tom cat smirked, "I needed one last chance to show you just how _purr_ fect I am before my true identity sweeps you off your feet."

"Somehow I doubt that," Ladybug lied. She knew he was right. Just the thought of seeing him without his mask had her heart nearly pounding out of her chest.

"I guess we're about to see, aren't we?"

Cat Noir stood to his full height, a solid nine inches taller than she was. She was a little bit salty she hadn't actually opted for the small heel in her boots when she'd redesigned her suit last year. At least then he only would have had eight and a half inches on her.

Maybe it was the strange silence between them, but Ladybug noticed that Cat seemed almost nervous. It was a rare occurrence to see him like this, but she understood how he was feeling. If she hadn't used all of her nerves up yesterday, she'd probably be on edge too.

"I guess it's time, then," Ladybug suggested.

"Wait." Cat Noir held up a hand. "Can I have, like, one minute?"

"What, are you a scaredy cat?"

"No! Yes? Look, this is…it's a big deal, alright?"

Ladybug looked down at her hands clasped in front of her. "I know. It is. You're right."

"It's just--I've been wanting to know you for, like, ten years now. And now it's about to happen. And this is just a big deal, you know?" He covered his mouth with his hand.

"I've wanted to know, too," she murmured. "I mean, it's not like I never wanted to know."

"I know," he said. "It wasn't safe. But I'm glad it's happening now."

"Me, too."

Cat Noir took another deep breath before finally meeting her eyes. "Okay. Are you ready?"

"Are you asking me or yourself?"

He scowled. "My kwami asked me the same thing this morning."

Ladybug giggled. "Well, I'm ready when you are. How do you want to do this?"

"How about this," he put a hand on her shoulder, "You turn that way," he turned her to face the basketball hoop by the library. "And I'll face the other way. Then when we've detransformed, we can turn back around and see each other."

"So complicated," she teased.

Adrien turned to face the opposite basketball hoop. "Okay. I'm ready."

"Me, too."

Unable to help himself, and in need of some grounding, Cat Noir grabbed Ladybug's hand. She squeezed his in return. He gulped. "On three?"

He felt rather than saw her nod. "One," she counted.

"Two."

He squeezed her hand, and together they said, "three."

Each of them called off their transformation, and two bright lights shone in the _college_ courtyard, one a brilliant pink, and the other electric green.

The lights faded, and suddenly Adrien was holding _Ladybug's hand._

Barely a few seconds had passed, and Marinette was touching Cat Noir's skin with her skin.

In a few more seconds, they would be looking at each other's faces, unobstructed.

And suddenly it was all too much.

All of the anxiety Marinette hadn't felt the entire day slammed into her at once.

A fine sheen of sweat appeared across Adrien's brow.

Both of them considered running.

But neither of them moved. They stayed rooted in one spot, too terrified of seeing, and too afraid to leave.

It was a good fear, though, Marinette rationalized. It was excitement, anticipation, and the unknown. It wasn't a bad fear.

So she took another breath to steady herself. She should really start doing those deep breathing exercises her father pushed her to do so that she wasn't always gasping like a fish every time she got nervous. But that wasn't relevant right then.

"Should we turn around?" His voice sounded higher with nerves.

"Yeah, that would make sense, wouldn't it, kid?" The response definitely did not come from Marinette. Instead, she turned her head slightly to the right to see a floating, black, cat-like creature that must be Cat Noir's kwami.

"Plagg, if you don’t…"

"Oh, stop it with your empty threats, and just turn around already!"

"He's right, you know," Marinette said, "we should just do it. Like ripping off a bandaid. Get it over with. Not that there's anything to get over, but just…get it done."

"Yeah. Cool. Cool cool cool cool cool cool. Let's do this."

They squeezed each other's hand one last time. Marinette squeezed her eyes shut. She had no way of knowing, but behind her Adrien did the same. In sync, they released their hands and spun around towards each other.

"Oh would you open your eyes," Plagg complained.

"Give them some space, you pest," a small, high voice chided.

Marinette giggled. Leave it to her kwami to take control and try to deescalate the situation.

Feeling at ease after hearing her kwami's voice, Marinette felt brave. She squinted one of her eyes open, reminding herself that it was the same old Cat Noir, just without a mask. A glint of blonde caught her eye, giving her the courage to open her eyes fully.

Her breath caught in her throat. "Hey, I know you!"

The boy in front of her winced, and his eyes didn't open. "Yeah, I, um, thought you might…"

Of course she recognized him, Adrien thought, he was a model for most of his life. Why hadn't he thought to warn her about that?

"You're from the coffee shop!"

_Huh?_

"From the…coffee shop?" Adrien's muscles relaxed a bit.

"Yeah, you're my barista!"

"That's how you recognize me?" His voice was full of disbelief. "From the coffee shop?"

"Open your eyes, you silly cat!"

So he did. Slowly, and cautiously, but he opened his eyes.

What he saw nearly knocked him off his feet. He'd been right.

"You're the baker's daughter," he said, his voice filled with awe. "And I was right!"

Ladybug had a look of confusion on her face. "You were right?"

"I was right!" Adrien threw his arms around her waist and picked her up. He swung a very shocked Ladybug around in a circle, laughing all the while. "I was right!"

Marinette's hands went to Cat Noir's shoulders as she braced herself against the motion. "What do you mean, you were right?"

He finally stopped spinning, but he didn't put her down. "I was right! I've known since I was fourteen that if I ever met you in real life, I would recognize you, and I was right!" He finally placed her gently on the ground, hands resting gently at her waist. "That night you came into the coffee shop to work on your project, I knew you looked familiar. Everything about you was familiar, and I just, I had this feeling. And every time I saw you I kept feeling it, and here you are!"

Marinette's cheeks hurt from smiling so much, but she wasn't about to stop any time soon. "I guess you were right, then! And what do you mean, you thought I might recognize you? Conceited much?"

He groaned and bowed his head. "I'm not being conceited, I'm just used to being recognized. I, aha, I used to be a model."

"A model?" She deadpanned.

He took one hand off of her waist, just to rub the back of his neck. "Yeah…"

"Wait a minute," she said, taking a step back, "hold on, you _were_ a model, weren't you? I recognize you now! I knew you looked familiar, but it's hard to tell when you wear those glasses, and your hair is so much shorter now! I used to see you in magazines all the time!"

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Maybe I shouldn't have pointed it out…"

She laughed. "No, no! It’s fine! Everything's fine."

"Are you sure you won't go all fan girl on me," he teased.

"Dude," she said, putting a hand on her hip, "I'm literally Ladybug. Not to brag, but I'm pretty used to the celebrity life by now." She flipped a strand of hair over her shoulder and struck a pose, earning her a hearty laugh from her partner.

"Well that's good to know." A glint of mischief flashed in his eyes, and Marinette marveled at the familiarity of the look, even without the mask. He bowed at the waist, taking her hand. "It's nice to formally meet you, my lady. Adrien Agreste, at your service."

Marinette tried to quell the butterflies in her stomach, but to no avail. "Pleasure to meet you, good sir. Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Adrien righted himself. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry. Would you care to join me for lunch, my lady?"

"That sounds lovely, _chaton_." She looped her arm in his. "And lucky for you, I used to go to this school. I know the back way out so that no one sees us sneaking out."

"You never cease to amaze with your im _purr_ essive tricks, Bug."

She began to lead him to the back of the school "What can I say, I've always told you I'm a genius."

"And so humble." He assessed her outfit. "And what are you, a fashion student? You're wearing, like, a hundred colors!"

"As a matter of fact, I am. Working towards a masters in design."

"Don't get me wrong, I love it. It reminds me of summer."

"Who dressed you today, Cat," she shot back, "you have on a big scarf like that, but no jacket? What happened to you, _Monsieur_ Agreste?"

"It's almost 10C out. It's not even that cold!"

They bantered back and forth like that the entire way out, leaving their kwami to trail behind them, forgotten in the excitement.

They had a feeling that would become the norm from then on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my longest chapter, and honestly I think it's my favorite so far. But things aren't over yet!  
> I seriously considered cutting this off right at the de-transformation, because I live for cliff hangers, but I decided not to do that. Mostly because I would have had two chapters that were too short.
> 
> Also, if you caught the B99 reference in this chapter, we're automatically friends.
> 
> Bonus: Marinette outfit reference: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/0d/ed/9b/0ded9b9b044142750d54a2c3444cb8c7.jpg  
> Adrien outfit references:   
> http://oi62.tinypic.com/jq3nzs.jpg  
> https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/6a/ba/2e/6aba2ef9b5ee2870b34d5b70cf99f151.jpg


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heros hang out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this from mobile because I don't have my computer near me right now. Please forgive any awkward formatting.

 

"Stop laughing!" 

"I'm sorry, but I can't," Adrien chortled. "I can't believe you went to school with Chloe."

"I can't believe you're friends with Chloe." Marinette folded her arms in front of her. "She didn't make my life easy as a kid."

"Yeah, I'm sure about that," Adrien speared a bit of lettuce from his salad. "She's calmed down over the years. I think she's grown up since getting out into the real world."

Marinette grumbled and took a sip of her Italian soda. "I'll believe it when I see it."

They sat in a quiet café right down the street from the college, and they were just settling into a comfortable companionship with one another. Once they'd gotten over the whole "Oh my God! This is my partner-slash-best friend of ten years without the mask on!" part, they'd talked about the little details of their lives that they couldn't share before.

Adrien was homeschooled, but his childhood home had been only a few streets from Marinette's apartment and bakery. They both knew Chloe Bourgeois, and surprisingly they both knew Nino Lahiffe.

"I first started going to that coffee shop because he works there, you know," Marinette told him. "It's close to our University, so when he started working there he practically begged me and Alya to visit him while he was on his shift."

"He usually works in the afternoons, though," Adrien pointed out, "and you've been coming in the mornings."

"I never used to be a coffee drinker. Then I found out you can put caramel in it, and now I can't make my early classes without it." Marinette pulled out her phone, tapped at it for a moment, then turned it to show Adrien. "These are my friends. You might recognize some of them. Being in classes with Chloe led to a lot of akuma when we were younger, and almost all of my friends were akumatized at least once."

Adrien looked at the photo, and did recognize several of the people in the photo. "That's Horrificator,"

"Mylene."

"Reflekta."

"Juleka."

"Oh my goodness, is that Stoneheart?"

"Yeah, that's Ivan!"

"The first akuma we ever fought together." Adrien scanned the other faces in the picture.

"I've been with these people since _college_. We went to the same arts _lycee_ as well, so we kept in touch."

Adrien tapped one face that he recognized even more than the others. "Wait a second, you're friends with the Ladyblog moderator?"

Marinette laughed. "Alya is my best friend. We met just before I got my miraculous, actually."

"How in the world has she not uncovered your identity? She's only been on our tail for ten years." He handed her phone back to her. "I think she's even gotten close to figuring me out once or twice, and I've never met her out of the mask."

"She's definitely gotten close once or twice, but I always manage to shake her off my trail. I don’t know what she'd say if she ever found out. She'd flip out for sure, but I couldn’t say whether it would be in a good way or a bad one."

Adrien leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. "Well," he said, "I may not know her as well as you do, but I like to think in ten years you can get a feel for someone. I'd like to believe she'd take it pretty well."

Marinette laughed. "You might be right."

Adrien wondered for the hundredth time that afternoon what things would have been like if he and Marinette had grown up together. They were close to one another, physically. He'd been in her parent's bakery many times as a child with his mother, and walked by it when he took a rare break from the stifling air in the mansion. He couldn't believe how close he'd been. The fact that they could have been in classes together, hung out with friends, done homework with one another, it felt like time lost.

But that was the past. Maybe now they'd have a future.

"Well, I don't know about you, but after a healthy lunch like that I’m craving something sweet," Adrien said in an attempt to divert his own train of thought. "Do you want to find some dessert?"

Marinette's eyes lit up and practically sparkled. "You have a little bit of a sweet tooth then?"

"More than I'd care to admit. It was the bane of my father's existance when I was still modeling."�

"Well, you're not modeling anymore. Lucky for you, I happen to be related to the two best bakers-slash- _pâtissiers_ in Paris." Marinette pulled her purse into her lap and began rummaging through it. "And my father raised me to always make good impressions. What better way to make a good impression," she pulled a colorful box out of the bag and placed it on the table, "than to speak to someone's stomach?"

The long, thin box contained a variety of macarons with ganache, buttercream, and jelly fillings.

Adrien practically swooned. "You really do know the way to a man's heart."

Marinette ducked her head a bit to hide the blush rising on her cheeks and reminded herself not to look too much into his comments. Instead, she suggested they move out to the park and share the cookies, to which he eagerly agreed.

So they found themselves on a park bench with the box of cookies between them, staring at the Ladybug and Cat Noir statue and seeing it in a way neither of them had before.

"You know," Marinette said, "You did meet me a couple of times before. Outside of the mask, that is."

Adrien paused, a cookie halfway to his mouth. "Wait, I what?"

"Back in _college_. It was our first year as heroes and I got targeted by a couple of akuma. Evillistrator and the Gamer. So you helped me out. Like, the civilian me."

"Oh my goodness, I remember that now! Aw man, Bug, do you know what this means?"

"That I saw you showing off to civilians, and you totally fell for my kiss-up-to-the-superhero act?"

He purses his lips in displeasure at her teasing. "No. It means I didn't know you at first sight. I can't believe this. I was so sure of myself!"

Marinette laughed. "You realize we're talking about something that happened like ten years ago, right? I'd still count it as a win. I mean, back then we'd only known each other a few months. We have a decade behind us now. Of course we're more likely to recognize each other after this long."

He smirked at her. "Well, at least I have a leg up on Alya. Ladybug's own best friend couldn't figure her out, but I did!"

"Okay, don't get ahead of yourself, minou. It's not like you tracked me down. It was a mutual agreement."

"I know, but still!"

Adrien looked at the statue of young Ladybug, poised triumphantly with her hand outstretched as if she was reaching towards the future.

"This is nice," he said. He leaned back on the bench and turned his head towards the lovely lady at his side. "I'm glad that we can talk like this. No more barriers."

Marinette sat back in the bench. "Me, too." The corners of her lips turned up. "I like hanging out like this."

"Yeah." Adrien's eyes roamed her profile, from the light pink of her cheeks, to the curl of a stray hair escaping her bun, to the yellow enamel on her almond shaped nails. Seeing her hands uncovered was still a rush. The idea that all he had to do was reach out and he could brush his fingers against hers. His heart skipped a beat at the memory of the softness of her skin. He could just reach out and take her hand. He'd been waiting ten years for this moment, and Ladybug--Marinette was just as sweet behind the mask as he always knew she would be. His fingers inched closer to hers where they lay on the bench.

A chime rang from the inner pocket of Adrien's sports coat. He took his phone out and groaned at the notification. Of course they would be interrupted on the most important day of his entire life.

"What's up," Marinette asked, her curious, blue eyes shining behind thick lashes.

"I forgot I told Chloe and her father I would come to dinner with them tonight, and I'm being requested early."

Marinette stuck her tongue out and her lips curled up in disgust. "It is very hard to imagine you two being friends."

"I swear, she's not awful anymore." His phone buzzed again. "Still just as demanding though. I should probably go."

"Oh, alright then." Marinette closed the macaron box and handed the rest to Adrien.

He thanked her. "Do you mind if I walk you home before I have to go?"

"I'd like that," she said with a smile.

Adrien stood and held his hand out to help Marinette to her feet. "How do you walk in those without slipping on the ice?" He asked, indicating her heels.

"Well," she said, kicking a rock out of her path, "for starters, as you so eloquently pointed out earlier, it's like 10C out, so there isn't a whole lot of ice. And you might be in for a bit of a rude awakening, chaton. This bug is majorly clumsy outside of the mask."

"Hmm. I think I recall you mentioning that once or twice before, clumsy girl. The sore spot on my head that never goes away might be evidence enough of your clumsiness in the mask as well."

Marinette groaned about her yoyo having a mind of its own sometimes, and Adrien reveled in the normalcy, yet simultaneous surrealness of the afternoon. Marinette was so much greater than he had expected her to be, and that was saying something. Meeting her was like falling for Ladybug all over again. No, he really was falling for her again. Every smile made her eyes sparkle. Her laugh was like music. There was something magical about seeing his lady relaxed like this. If the look of determination in her eyes during battle gave him butterflies, the soft look of her lost in thought on a sunny day without a care in the world knocked him off his feet. He didn't know if he could handle the new intensity of his feelings.

He spared a glance at Marinette's face and reminded himself to reel it in. She was his friend. He didn't want to weird her out on their first official meeting with professions of love. He'd work his way up to that. �Besides, he didn't want to weird her out in case she didn't feel the same way.

They arrived at her parent's bakery sooner than either of them would have liked.

"So, you live above the bakery, then?" Adrien held the shop door open for Marinette.

She smiled and thanked him. "Yes. It's really great, being so close to it. It also gives easy access to leftovers."

Adrien laughed. "That must be nice."

"Marinette," Tom called from behind the counter, "who's your friend?"

Marinette's father--easily the second largest man Adrien had seen in his life--was putting out the second batch of baguettes for the afternoon/pre-dinner rush when the two of them came into the shop. Marinette stifled a groan. She had forgotten about her parents in her excitement. How was she going to explain how she knew Adrien to them?

"Papa! This is my," _fellow super hero? Partner? Long time crush?_ "Friend, Adrien Agreste. He works at the coffee shop with Nino."

Adrien felt relief wash through him at Marinette's quick thinking. She definitely hadn't lied to her father about how they'd met, but she also hadn't given them away. It made things easy on his end, too. He stuck his hand out for M. Dupain to shake. "A pleasure to meet you, sir."

Tom grasped Adrien's hands with both of his own. "You're Gabriel Agreste's son, aren't you, my boy? Your parents used to order from our bakery every week. How have you been doing?"

Adrien forced himself to grin through the mention of his father. "Things have been going well. I remember my mother insisted on keeping your bread in steady supply in the house."

"She had great taste," Tom chortled.

Marinette's mother came out from the back of the bakery, and Marinette introduced Adrien formally in the same way. 

"Did Nino introduce you two," Sabine asked, putting together a bag of bread for Adrien to take with him because, in her words, there was no reason for a boy his age to be as skinny as he was.

"No, actually we started talking when I spent the night in the coffee shop to work on my thesis designs." Marinette explained.

"And, of course, we ran into each other again here." Adrien reminded them of his and Marinette's second meeting in that very bakery where he'd solidified his suspicions about Ladybug's identity.

Sabine passed the bag of bread to her daughter. "Well, take some of this bread. We never did get to send something over for your father's funeral. Consider this our belated condolences, and a welcome to the family."

Adrien may have missed the connotation of her mother's words, but Marinette did not. Her cheeks heated slightly. Her mother just had to match make, didn't she? Marinette hurriedly walked Adrien to the door. "Gee, will you look at the time? Chloe must be waiting for you, isn't she?"

Adrien nearly bit out a curse. "Yeah. You're right. It was lovely meeting you both."

As the two of them shuffled to the door, Marinette's foot caught against the corner of one of the displays, sending the bundle of bread flying out of her hands. Fortunately, Adrien caught both her and the bread before either of them could hit the floor. Marinette's hands landed against his chest, one of his hands wrapped around her tricep, and the other catching the bag by the handle. 

"Well that could have been a _cat_ astrophe." He winked at her. 

If Marinette had thought her face warm before, it was nothing compared to the blush now rising on her cheeks. She righted herself and shoved Adrien out the door, ignoring his chuckle. "You're the worst. I don't know why I thought this was a good idea."

Adrien tossed a playful grin over his shoulder. "Aw, you know you love me, Bugaboo."

Marinette scowled to avoid agreeing to his statement. "Goodbye, Adrien."

"See you later, Bug." He waved at her before turning the corner.   
Marinette waited until she couldn't see the blonde of his hair any longer before turning her beet red face to her parents.

"So," said Tom, teasing evident in his voice, "When's the wedding?"

Marinette opened her mouth, closed it, tried opening it again, gave up, and stalked straight past her laughing parents thinking, _its_ _really not that funny_. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No betas, no proof reading, we post blindly like men.  
> (forgive any mistakes, please)

Marinette furiously erased the jacket she'd just spent an hour resketching for the millionth time. When she'd turned in her preliminary sketches, she'd been happy with them. But looking over them again, she realized something was off. These designs were meant to capture the essence of her partner, the slick talking, pun loving, leather-clad, cat superhero that had been such a big part of her life since she was a kid. Looking over them now, after spending time with her cat without the mask on for a few weeks, she was understanding and getting to know her partner on a whole new level, and these runway-style,  _haute coture_  designs seemed too....showy. It would only look good in a runway show. Now that Marinette actually knew Adrien, it seemed wrong to reduce the collection to just one show. 

She needed to make the clothes functional, wearable in every day life. She wanted to keep the air of high fashion, but bring it down to Earth. Whatever she designed needed to be something she could actually see Adrien wearing on the streets of Paris, not just on magazine covers. 

"You're going to get a headache is you keep working in the dark like this," Tiki said. She flipped on the table lamp on the other side of Marinette. 

"Thanks, Tiki," Marinette slumped over the back of her chair, "I think I'm done for the night though. I'm really struggling with this. It's like, everything I do is the same. I've known Cat Noir for ten years, but if I can't even do this, did I ever really know him?"

"Of course you did. But people have levels, Marinette. Removing the mask means removing a barrier. You still know him, but now you can get to know even more of him."

Marinette bit the corner of her lip and mulled over Tiki's words. She slumped forward a bit. "I guess you're right." It didn't make her happy about it, though.

Marinette glanced at her sketch book once again before deciding to call it a night. She was meeting Adrien for lunch tomorrow afternoon, anyway. Maybe she could get some inspiration then.

* * *

 

Alya drummed her fingers on the bedspread and huffed at the video call on her phone. She loved Marinette dearly, but this was getting out of hand. "Girl, I know you're stubborn, but even this is a bit much. This guy has been all you can talk about for weeks. When do I get to meet him?"

Marinette groaned on the other side of the screen. "It's not what you think, Alya. We're friends."

Alya smirked. "Mmm hmm, sure you are. That's why there's a folder in your phone of memes to send him? And that's why you're doing your hair?"

"I always do my hair," Marinette murmured, not meeting Alya's eyes.

"At 10:00 on a Saturday morning? I'm lucky if I can get you out of the house before two when you don't have work or class, but here you are getting all dressed up."

Marinette put down her hair brush and picked up her phone again. "Okay, fine. I like him. Maybe a lot. But I don't want to push anything while we're still getting to know one another."

Alya pushed her bangs out of her eyes and spared a glance at her boyfriend, who was getting dressed for work. She winked at him and decided it was time to use her secret weapon. "Nino thinks he might be into you."

Her comment had the desired effect. Marinette's eyes blew open wide and she made a strangled noise in the back of her throat. "T-th-that's nice."

Nino shot Alya a glare that said 'I told you that in confidence,' and Alya blew him a kiss. "Isn't it? So, you should really move in on that soon."

"I just want to see how things go for a while," Marinette said, reaching beyond the screen. "I really value his friendship....so far I mean. And I want things to progress naturally." She put the phone down again, so that Alya could see and held up two shirts, one maroon with pink hearts and the other white with black polka dots. "Which one?"

"The left. It's romantic."

Marinette's cheeks turned pink. "I'm hanging up on you."

"Don't forget to tell him I want to meet him, and have fun on your date!" Alya reached to hang up the call, but not before she heard Marinette protest that it was definitely not a date.

She rolled over onto her back as she felt her boyfriend crawl onto the bed next to her. 

"Why do you always meddle," Nino asked. He wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"I'm not meddling. Some guy I don't know is in a major bromance with my boyfriend, and trying to charm the pants off of my best friend. Of course I'm curious."

"He's not trying to get in her pants." He rolled his eyes. "He never even directly said he was into Mari. Just kind of asks about her, that's all."

"Because he's into her. And I like that you didn't deny the bromance."

"He's a really great dude!"

Alya shoved Nino off of her. "If you love him so much, you should probably get going. Don't want to be late for work and miss your bro time."

Nino checked his phone. "Shoot you're right." He grabbed his hat--the one with the coffee shop's logo--off of his bedside table and gave Alya another quick kiss before heading for the door.

"I'm fine with polyamory, but please remember to keep me in the loop if you're trying to bring someone else into this relationship," Alya teased.

Nino grinned over his shoulder, "good to know, babe."

Alya listened as the front door closed and shook her head. She would be meeting this Adrien Agreste one way or another.

* * *

 

Marinette tried to ignore Alya's voice echoing around in her head. It wasn't like she didn't want to introduce her. Having both of her best friends in one place would be like a dream come true. But things were complicated. First of all, she was the Ladyblog's moderator. Her whole life was dedicated to unmasking Ladybug and Cat Noir. That hadn't stopped just because the supervillains were gone. Putting Alya and the actual Cat Noir unmasked in the same room could be dangerous. She needed to at least talk to Adrien about it first. Then there was the fact that Alya was worse than her parents when it came to setting Marinette up with people. Now that she knew Marinette was  interested, and Nino claimed that Adrien might be into her, too--something Marinette didn't know if she had the mental or emotional capacity to address at the moment--she'd be pushing them together nonstop. No, it might be for the best to hold off on introducing the two of them for a while. 

Marinette adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder and headed towards the coffee shop. She reminded herself that there was no reason to be nervous. She'd gotten exactly what she wanted. She was hanging out with her best friend, just without the mask. So why did things feel so different between them?

She chewed on her lip as she came into the shop and tried to remind herself that things were normal. 

Until she saw Adrien and Nino hanging out behind the counter.

She knew, of course, that the two of them were work-buddies. They both liked each other. But knowing it and seeing it were two different things. And if Adrien hung out with Nino, that meant it was only a matter of time before Alya meddled her way into the picture. 

It was definitely time to get Adrien ready for that. 

She shook herself out of her thoughts and greeted both of her friends.

"Hey, what's up, Mari!" Nino leaned over the counter to greet her with a fist bump. "Did you finish your sketches yet?"

Marinette made a face. Despite getting up early to work over them, she was getting nowhere. "Still stuck in artist's block."

"Sucks, dude. I feel you. I haven't made any progress on my screenplay, either."

"Maybe we need to have a work party later," Marinette suggested, "see if we can jog any ideas out of each other."

"That would be great! I don't know how much help I'll be on the fashion side of things, though."

"You know, I might not be in fashion anymore, but when I was younger and my dad hit a road block, he used to look back through old design boards to see if anything would have spark some inspiration," Adrien offered, "I can loan a couple of books to you, if you want."

Marinette's hands flattened on the counter and she bounced up on her toes, "You mean, like, _Gabriel_ original design boards?!"

Nino chuckled. "Uh oh."

Adrien leaned back as Marinette leaned into the counter. "Y-yeah."

"Bro, I don't think you understand what you've just done." Nino pinched the bridge of his nose under  his glasses, having been on the receiving end of more than a few of Marinette's fan-girling rants.

"I, um, I think I have a few in my office at home. If they aren't there, I can call my father's old assistant to see if she knows where they are."

"I wouldn't want to trouble you." Her mouth was saying one thing, but her eyes saying another. Marinette didn't want to impose on Adrien, but the prospect of seeing Gabriel Agreste's original design boards, with his hand writing, his sketches, fabric scraps that he'd selected himself, she couldn't pass up an opportunity like this.

Adrien, who had a healthy amount of fear in his blood at the hungry look in Marinette's eyes, gulped before responding. "It's really no trouble. They're just gathering dust where they are. They might as well be useful to someone."

Marinette grasped Adrien's hands in her's "That would be so amazing! Thank you, Adrien!"

"Yeah, of course, Marinette."

Nino clasped a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "You better clock out, bro. Don't want to get yelled at for unapproved overtime."

Adrien pulled his hands out of Marinette's like he'd just been shocked.  "Yeah, yeah. You're right." The sting of his sudden retreat was eased when he turned a thousand watt smile her way. "I'll be right back."

"Okay." Marinette couldn't keep her own slightly lovesick grin off her face as she watched him go.

"Damn, Mari," Nino said, letting out a whistle.

"What?" She shot him a playful glare.

 "I'm not saying anything. That's Alya's job."

* * *

 

Adrien pressed a hand over his mouth and rested his forehead on the cool metal of the locker. He had hoped the cold would soothe his heated face, but to no avail.

He knew Marinette was a fan of his father, but the look in her eyes had been something else entirely. He righted himself and slapped his cheeks. He had to get it together.

He shot Nathalie a text to see if she knew where the books were before changing into his street clothes.

"Maybe it's time for you to ask her out," Plagg suggested. "You know she's single."

"I just want to enjoy being friends with her for a while," Adrien said. "Is that so weird? I mean, we've known each other for so long, and we're just now discovering another side of each other. I want to enjoy being friends with her." He was still head over heels in love with her--even more so now knowing _Marinette_.

But he liked things the way they were. If he were the same impulsive kid he had been years ago, he would have already declared his love for her and tried to sweep her off her feet. He was serious about just taking things slow, though. He was savoring the moment.

Adrien grabbed Plagg mid-complaint and shoved him into the pocket of his cardigan. He hadn't been listening anyway.

He grabbed his beanie out of his locker and smoothed back his hair before putting it on.

He shouldered his bag and headed back towards the front of the store where he could grab Marinette, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a tall girl with a mass of curly hair leaning against the counter.

He would know that girl anywhere.

He'd been putting it off for some time, but it looked like he was about to meet the Ladyblogger. 

Marinette spotted him from the corner of her eye and shot him an apologetic look. 

"...figured it had been  _so long_ since I've actually seen you in person, I wanted to catch you while I still had a chance!" 

"Alya, I saw you last week..." Marinette murmured. 

Alya gushed at Marinette, taking both of her hands in her own, and Adrien briefly considered backing out the rear door.

He knew that would be a bad move, though. He was Cat Noir, retired savior of Paris, and he could handle a nosy reporter, damn it!

He straightened up and approached the two girls. 

"Hey, Marinette, are you ready to go," he asked, walls already up. 

Marinette was obviously on edge, too. Her posture was stiff and she wouldn't meet his eyes. 

Alya, on the otherhand, studied him from head to toe with a critical eye. Seeming to find whatever she was looking him over for, she nodded and held out her hand. "I'm Alya, Marinette's best friend, and Nino's girlfriend. You must be Adrien."

Adrien reminded himself to breathe. There was nothing to be suspicious of here, just a normal ex-model barista going on a not-date with a friend. "Nice to meet you, Alya. You're the moderator of the Ladyblog, right?"

Alya's entire demeanor lit up at the mention of her blog. Looks like Adrien knew how to get on her good side. "Yes! I've run it since  _college_.Ladybug and Cat Noir may be retired, but I'm definitely not."

Adrien gave a genuine laugh at her determination. "Well, I'm glad. I've been a fan of your blog since that first video you sent into the news stations."

"Thanks for your support." Alya stuck an arm around his shoulders--a feat, considering she was just 

a few inches taller than Marinette-- and pulled him down to her level. Marinette and Nino protested, but she brushed them off. "The real question is who is your favorite: Ladybug or Cat Noir?"

Adrien made eyecontact with Marinette, standing off to the side feigning disinterest, but with a light pink tinge to her cheeks. He smirked. "Cat Noir is pretty slick, buuuut...I'm definitely a diehard Ladybug fan."

He held back a chuckle at the way Marinette's cheeks darkened further.

"Yes!" Alya pumped her fist, "finally, someone with some sense! These two losers have been on team Noir for ages. I can't seem to convince them otherwise."

"Cat Noir is great and all," Adrien said, trying to see how much he could get Marinette to blush, "Super suave and with a  _great_ sense of humor, but Ladybug is definitely the superior hero."

"Right?"

"She's the epitome of a superhero. Brave, selfless, witty, and fearless all in one polka dotted package."

"And she's super cute, right? I'm not going to lie, I definitely had a crush on her in  _college,"_ Alya confessed.

"Woah," Nino said, slamming his hands on the counter, "we started dating in  _college_! How did I not know this? Marinette, did you know about this?"

Marinette shrugged, "it was kind of obvious, dude."

Alya finally released her hold on Adrien and approached Nino. She put her hands over his and leaned over the counter to leave a light kiss on the tip of his nose. "It was a celebrity crush, love. Nothing to be jealous of." 

Nino grumbled under his breath. 

"Alright, Adrien, we should probably get going," Marinette suggested.

Adrien nodded and saluted Nino, "good luck with the evening rush, man."

Nino shot him a glare, obviously upset with Adrien for abandoning him.

"It was good meeting you, Alya," Adrien said, relieved that she didn't seem suspicious at all. 

"I have a feeling that we're going to be good friends, Agreste." She shot him a wink before turning back to her pouting boyfriend. 

* * *

 

"Let's just hope our boss doesn't stop in," Adrien joked once they were out the door. "Wouldn't want Nino to get caught making out on the job."

Marinette laughed.

"I'm really sorry about that. Alya is persistent. I was hoping to warn you before you actually met her in person and give you some time to prepare."

Adrien scoffed. "Don't worry about it. I had a feeling it was coming soon. I should have been more prepared."

She smiled and a subtle warmth filled her chest at how well he was taking everything. It was like he and her fireball of a best friend had been friends for years themselves. Of course, he had a handle on the Ladyblogger, but Alya could be even more intimidating if she wanted to be. 

"So what about you?" He asked, a mischievous grin on his face. 

"What about me?"

He chuckled. "Ladybug or Cat Noir?"

Marinette stifled a laugh and pretended to think about it, tapping her chin with her finger and everything, laying it on as thick as she could. "Hmmmm... I guess I'd have to say....Ladybug." The lie slipped teasingly out of her lips, and he reacted exactly as she'd hoped. 

He halted mid-step and glared at her with an annoyed smirk on his face. "And why is that?"

"Oh, you know," Marinette clasped her hands behind her back, and rocked back on her heels, not looking him directly in the eye. "It's like you said, she's just so brave, and witty, and fearless. Who wouldn't love her?" She turned on her heel and continued down the street, letting Adrien get himself together and trail after her. 

"But what about Cat Noir? I mean, he's a cool guy, too."

"Oh, I see. You think I should be a Cat Noir fan just because he may have saved me once or twice. I mean, yeah he's pretty cool, but you should have seen the showboating." She laughed, but decided she didn't want to take it too far and actually hurt his feelings. "No, but Cat Noir is actually a pretty cool guy. You called Ladybug selfless, but I don't think that's always the case. I think he's the selfless one." As Adrien fell in line with her, she nudged him with her shoulder.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye in time to catch the small grin on his face. A light blush crept up her face. He wasn't supposed to be that cute. It really wasn't fair.

* * *

 

"You could have at least let us know you were coming," Nino chastised. "We could have given him a heads up."

Alya scoffed at that. "You would have made another excuse for why I couldn't meet your boyfriend yet again. Besides, I need to keep an eye on him if he's into Marinette. Her love life has always been so dry."

"If you're so concerned with her dry love life, shouldn't you keep the meddling to a minimum?"

Alya shook her head and Nino handed her a to go cup of tea. "I'm not meddling. I just wanted to check him out, you know? See if he's going to be good for her. She doesn't date very often, and I've been worried that her previous relationships have damaged her outlook on love. I don't want her to give up, you know? She has so much love to give. I just want to make sure she's giving it to the right people."

Nino smiled and began to wipe down the prep counter. "Well, I don't think you have to worry about Adrien. He's a good guy, for real. And seeing them interact today, I'd say he's even good for her. I haven't seen her like that with someone aside from you in a long time."

"Well, I can't say you're wrong," Alya said, pulling her purse over her shoulder. "I like what I see with him. Plus he's a Ladybug fan."

"You have no idea. I brought up Ladybug one time on a double shift. Dude would not shut up about her. I swear, he's worse than you are."

"We may have a problem, after all." She chuckled. "Especially if he's going to challenge me for the position of Ladybug's biggest fan."

Alya leaned over and gave him a quick kiss before excusing herself to go to work. Nino had a feeling that what she said was only half joking. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA for yall, thank you so much for your support. Unfortunately, this fic will be on hiatus for a little while as I participate in the Miraculous Big Bang. It's a large project of at least 30,000 words that will span until December. I may or may not update this fic between working on the piece for the Big Bang, so please be patient.  
> For more info about the project, go to MiraculousBigBang.tumblr.com  
> Follow me on Tumblr for more! CrypticCravings.tumblr.com


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